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Colorado's Copper Mountain Resort is poised to win the hearts of a new generation of skiers by giving them what they really want: a kick-ass mountain.

It's a clear, blue day in early March. A few thready clouds stretch out thin on the horizon. We’ve hiked a quarter mile from where the snowcat dropped us and are catching our breath at the top of Tucker Mountain. The patrol “dumpster” is the only structure—an ugly rectangular box marring an otherwise lovely view of the pyramid peaks of the Ten Mile and Mosquito ranges. The steeps of Copper Bowl, Fremont Glades, and the gastronomically named Taco and Nacho splay out below—50-plus-degree pitches packed with cold, chalky snow.

Is it surprising that the East produces so many great bump skiers? Not at all. Kearney looks forward to a new chapter, and offers a couple tips on how to rip in moguls.

Quaint, tiny Norwich, Vt., has put more than its share of athletes in the Olympics, but none more successful than Hannah Kearney. She won gold at the Vancouver Games, bronze at Sochi, and at times was unbeatable on the World Cup circuit. She won her first World Cup event in 2004 at the age of 17, then went on to collect eight World Cup season titles, including three overall freestyle globes. In 2011-12 she put together a record-setting streak of 16 straight wins.